98 Quotes About Special-needs

It is not a bad thing, this grief. It is a motivator for connecting with other mothers and families, a guide for compassion and understanding; it carries me across thresholds to a newer appreciation for the little joys in life. At times, it brings me to my knees--not in defeat, but in the cleansing tears and soul stricken prayers of a woman who is stronger than she ever has been.

Parents of medically fragile children find themselves becoming experts in lots of different areas, including laws and regulations, research and treatments, and the various specialists that support the health of their children.

But in a home where grief is fresh and patience has long worn thin, making it through another day is often heroic in itself.

I think that’s a special thing...that your daughters will get to grow up and see a woman and a mom who’s making lots of time and space for them, but who’s also making time and space for herself. That changes everything.

I definitely think mothers of children with disabilities have to have extraordinary courage every day...Because we all know our children have value and worth and potential, but the everyday world sometimes doesn’t.'—Linda Strobel in Up: A Love Letter to the Down Syndrome Community

If we can't start by seeing an autistic child as inherently capable, interesting, and valuable, no amount of education or therapy we layer on top is going to matter.

My parents, you see, were a little square. They cared more about being good parents in the general sense than being good parents for me. They wanted to appear normal; respectable and responsible. But they weren’t prepared to acknowledge my individual needs.

Somewhere along the line we stopped trying to fix the child that we had expected and started to enjoy the child that was.

The more love and support your child receives, the richer his or her life becomes, and nurses can certainly add to the circle of love surrounding your child.